Monday Morning Chrysler New Yorker

No hockey score jokes. No ripping on the offenses. No historical analysis of how low-scoring the game was.

You're not getting any of that in this Tuesday afternoon edition of Monday Morning Chrysler New Yorker.

At the end of 60 minutes, the Steelers finished with 3 more points than the opposition. That equals a win, no matter who the opponent was. The 3-0 shutout moved the record to 8-3.

Tale of the tape: Persevering the elements. Underlying theme: Ridiculous defensive game.

The stats weren't gaudy, but the team weathered the storm (literally and figuratively), kept the dolphins at bay and did just enough to win.

One more thing before I get into specific performances. What was up with ESPN rooting for marine mammals? Were they trying to side with the winless Dolphins? I mean, they kept playing that ridiculous Seal song at every commercial break. Seals...Dolphins...conspiracy?

Bennifer. Aside from the early interception, Ben did everything right given the poor weather and turf conditions. He didn't force long passes, which was critical without San Antonio in the lineup. Ben repeatedly threw 3-5 yard passes, which resulted in high percentage receptions that slowly moved the sticks. Sure, nearly every drive stalled, but that can be contributed to the potholes and standing water on the field. Ben reprised his "Game Manager" role, and let the game come to him. When he absolutely needed a drive to win the game, he produced. 4 of 5 motorcycle helmets for the conservative play.

RBs. I was a little confused by the RB system we used against the fish. With the awful weather, I was expecting to see more of Najeh early, letting Willie benefit from a worn-down defense. No knock on Willie, who put up solid numbers on a less-that-desirable field of play. However, when Najeh finally was used, he sputtered on a drive-ending 3rd down, and finished with 3 carries for 2 yards. Willie picked p the RB corps with 24 carries for 81 yards. Willie played well, Najeh did nothing. I'll give 3.75 out of 5 motorcycle helmets since Willie went over 1,000 rush yards for the 3rd consecutive season.

Hines. #86 played out of his mind all game. He was catching everything thrown his way, and on a sloppy night, caught 9 passes for 88 yards. That's huge in a game like this. Had this been a typical, 24-21 game, Hines' stats would've been something like 10 catches for 160 yards. There was no breaking long gains in the rain, and every catch was critical. He extended a few drives that should've resulted in a punt, and was clearly the go-to-guy. 5 of 5 motorcycle helmets. Couldn't ask for more out of Hines.

D. For those doubters who love to complain about the 3-0 win, the Steelers D pitched their 2nd shutout of the season. Add that to 3 other games in which the opposition scored a touchdown or less. All Miami needed was one drive for a score in order to win the game or at least force overtime. The D didn't allow that much. Tyrone Carter subbed for Troy perfectly, and he, James Farrior and Larry Foote were on acid all night. James Harrison continued his Monday night dominance with another sack in front of his predecessor, Joey Porter. Sure, Jeff Reed recorded the game's only points, but the D won the game. 5 of 5 motorcycle helmets. Sick game.

Bengals next week. We are Dey.

Love and prayers to Sean Taylor and his family. My buddy lives in Gaithersburg, Maryland and is a huge 'Skins/Sean Taylor fan. The news made me sick, and the mainstream media's reports about this has turned my stomach. I'll dedicate a post to this later.

Troy and San Antonio Won't Play Against The Fish

Things just got trickier for a team trying to avoid back to back losses to awful opponents.

Fresh off the disaster in New York, the Steelers must prepare for Joey Porter and the Dolphins sans standout athletes on both sides of the ball.

Troy Polamalu...out with a knee. San Antonio...out with an ankle.

Fun times. Tyrone Carter and Nate Washington best step up their respective games. 7-4 will not be acceptable. At all.

I don't see the Steelers losing, but I thought the exact same thing prior to the Jets game. Pittsburgh should be going for its 9th win, not merely hoping to record win number 8. Still, the team must look forward after the pathetic showing last week, and do anything and everything to avoid a repeat in front of the Monday Night Football crowd.

Don't play with my emotions, Stillers. These injuries cannot be an excuse for a 2nd consecutive disappointing loss.

Porter vs. Silverback

So who would you rather have?

Last year at this time, Steelers fans couldn't foresee the '07 team without Joey Porter. James Harrison has helped ease the transition from a Porter-led defense to a Porter-less defense.

This week, Silverback gets his chance to state his case against the guy he's helped Yinzers forget. Sure, the Dolphins are a horrible team, but we did just lose to the Jets. I'm not predicting anything.

This game s going to be eventful for the sole fact that these two guys will be going head-to-head, albeit at different time (defense doesn't play defense, duh). I'm hoping Silverback continues to build on the foundation he laid since Week 1.

If this was boxing, it'd be a heavyweight bout. Porter has had a down year by his standards, and could be past his prime, but he's still going up against his old team. Oh, and he made the All-Time team, so Silverback best be on his game. This is the perfect stage to complete the Joey-to-Silverback transition.

Game on.